Tip-up seat



J. MITCHELL Jan. 8, 1935.

TIP-UF SEAT Filed April 5, 1933 2 SheetS--SheeI l J. MITCHELL TIP-UP SEAT Jan. 8, 1935.

Filed April 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 /nfvfwo/e.

Aindicatesthe.usual back of: the seat.`r`

Patented Jan. 8, 1935 v c UNITED STATES TIP-UP SEAT James Mitchell, Glasgow, Scotland, assignor to Mitchell, Russell and Company Limited, Stirlingshire, Scotland Application April 5, 193s, serial No. 664,512 In Great Britain December 28, 1932 6 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to tip-up seats such as used in theatresv and cinemas, and such as are adapted toV be automatically tipped-up or require to have their tipping-up action manually initiated.

An object ofthe invention .is to make such seats practically noiseless in action, without requiring the use of springs. l

According tothe invention, seat pivots located between front and rear abutments are each movable relatively to a guide during pivotal movement of theseat proper between its two limiting positions (namely, a down position and a tipped position), these positionsV being respectively dened by down-position' and. tipped-position rests around' the former of which the initialportionof the tipping movementI takes place, the remainder of the tipping movement taking place around the pivot while at one end of its guide. 1- f Ina preferred arrangement, the pivots consist of rollers which project sidewise from the seat proper,v thejguides being fixtures on the sidesupports and being vlocated immediately` behind the previously mentioned down-position rest. The -arr'angement'is such that, kwhen the seat proper is beingl tippedlup, its centre of gravity is above the pivots and in or near the vertical'plane containing them at the instant whenthey reach the end of their guides. In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the seat.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section to a; larger scale than Fig; 1. y

1 Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View` taken on .the line III- IIIof Figs. 1` and 2, they view being to the same scale as Fig. 2 and showingy the manner in which seat brackets are supported in the doWn position. j, 1

vFig. 4 isa fragmentary section onthe, line IV-IV' of Fig 2 and showing the construction of pivot and guide members. V Fig.: 5 is a fragmentary section showing a modiiicationfm'` f The seat proper 4 is of the usual cushioned construction and is mounted on a pair `of rseat brackets 5 pivotally mounted, in a manner permitting the seat to tip up, between a pair of sidesupports consisting of upright standards 6 In Fig`."2, the seat proper andone of its pivots lare shown in ful'l'lines in the down position fandin dotted lines in the tipped position. Numeral '7 Each` of the brackets 5 is secured to the' under side ofthe seat proper' by means'ofV screws 8, and is provided-with a laterally extending boss 9`provided with a projecting pivot pin 9a extending into a guide channel 10 which, as shown, may be formed integral with the standard 6. .The guide channel 10 is of arcuate shape, 'being made to a radius from the point of contact between a buffer 5a and rest 13 hereinafter referredV to, and it extends forwardly and downwardly and is of semi-circular shape at each end: It will be 'seen that. the guide channel extends transverse to, or crosswise of the normal plane of the seat'proper in down position, said plane being indicated by the line III- III in Figs. 1 and 2. A metal sleeve 11 is loosely fitted over the pivot pin 9a and c'arries in a circumferential groove therein a ring 12 of tough rubber, or vulcanite, or iibrous or like cushioningy material, said ring constitutingl a roller. s Each of the two seat brackets 5 is providedl on its under side with a pair of yfront and rear rubber buffers 5a and 5b, which function as abutments and the former of which rests, when the seat is occupied and-the seat proper in the down position, on a front or down-position rest 1'3 which projects from the standard 6. The rear buffer 5b abuts against a bottom or tipped-position stop 14 when the seat proper is in thetipped position. f

When the seatproper is in its'down position, it is set, as shown in Fig. 1, at an inclination with its front higherthan its rear, this setting being such that an occupant will naturally recline against the back 7, with the result that he will impart a forward thrust to the top of the seat proper. Moreover, the average'l occupant will as a rule bear upon the seat proper from the front thereof to about the part thereof verticallyabove the axis of the parts 12. It is found in practice that the resultant of the aforesaid forward thrust and the weight of the average occupant is directed in front of the front rests 13, and therefore the seat proper has no undesirable tendency to tip when properly occupied.4 D

The location of the centre of gravity (which must not be confused with the centre) of the seat proper can be conveniently predetermined by appropriately dimensioning and distributing` the weight of the brackets 5 in relation to the dimensions and weights of the other parts of the seat proper. In the construction shown, the bracket membersr 5 are for the most part disposed rearward of the front buier 5a and they are suiciently heavy to 4ensure that, when the seat proper is in the down position, a vertical line from its centre of gravity would extend downwardlyr between the pivot pin 9a and the buffer 5a, the seat pivots being then at the upper end of the guide channels 10, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. It will be evident, therefore, that the seat proper can only be held in the down position by some positive means such as the weight of the person occupying it, so that, immediately the occupier rises, the seat proper becomes out of balance and starts automatically to tip, the pivots sliding downwardly in the guide channels 10. This movement takes place about the point or place of contact between the buffer 5a and the rest 13, and continues until the pivot reaches the lower end of the guide channel. At this time, Aowing to the change in inclination of the seat proper, the unbalanced turning moment is considerably reduced, and the seat proper is nearly in equilibrium about the axis of the pivot pin 9a. Further, the movement of the seat proper about the point of contact between the buffer 5a and the rest 13 stops; nevertheless, the momentum of the seat carries it slowly tothe fullystipped position, butl the axis of rotation is now the pivot. pin 9a. Finally, the seat proper comes to rest'against the buier 14.

Owing to lthis slowing up movement of the seat proper during tipping and to the provision of the cushion .ring 12, as shown best in Fig. 4, the arrangementr is practicallyr noiseless. The cushion ring 12 rolls on the side of the guide channel andthere is very little bumping; and, further, such wear as there is on the ring 12 is more or less uniform. The sleeve 11 and ring 12 can easily be removed and renewed.

It will be `evident that the tipping-up action is dependent upon the distribution of weight of the seat proper `and the relative positions of the pivots, guide channels, buiiers 5a and the' Asupporting rests 13. Therefore, the tipping up action may be increased or reduced as required by varying the distributionof weight and the relative positions.

Under another arrangement, which is not completely automatic, the weight of the seat proper is so disposed that a vertical line passing through the centre of gravity thereof would pass substantially through the point of contact between the buffer 5a and support 13, or even slightly in front of the point of contact. With this arrangement, the tipping action must be manually initiated, it being necessary to lgive the seat proper a slight lift at the front, and when thishas been done, the pivot moves downwardly in the guide channel and the centre of gravity shifts to the rear of the point of contact, so that the tipping action is automaticallyy continued.

Owing to the yshort distance that the pivot travels in the guide channel'before coming to rest, it need not be a cushion ring, but may be instead a ring ofharder material, such as metal.

Instead of being formed integral with the standard 6 the sides of the guide channel 10 and the ledge 13 may be formed as one or morey separate units which may be secured Vto the standard, for example, by screws.

It will be apparent that seats according to this invention are usually provided side-by-side in rows, although Figs. 1 to 4 show a seat consisting of a single independent unit. Where a seat is intended to formlone of a row, each standard (except, if desired, the two end standards of the row) is adapted to support a seat at each'side of it and is on this account formed or provided with a guide channel y10 at each side, as shown in Fig. 5. y I

In the construction illustrated, lthe pivot parts 9, `11, 12 projectsidewise from. the seatproper and a tipped position and including seat brackets, -pivotal connections arranged behind said seat-rests and between said brackets and sidesupports, said connections comprising channel guides,which are .formed with semi-circular upper and lower closed ends and which extend Vbehind said seat-rests arcuately thereto, and

shock-absorbingrollers relatively movable from end-to-end of said guides, front buffers on said brackets, said buffers contacting with said rests when the rollers are at one end of said channel guides and the seat proper is in the down position, rear buffer means on said brackets, and at least onestationary stop contacted by said rear buffer means when the rollers occupy the other end of saidA guides and the seat proper is in the tipped position.

2. A tip-up seat comprising a pair of spaced side-supports, front seat-restsv on both sidesupports, channel guides thereon which are formed kwith semi-circular upper and lower closed ends and which Vextend arcuately behind said seat-rests, a seat proper arranged between said side-supports for movement between a down position-and a tipped position and provided with seat brackets, shock-absorbing rollers which arejournalled on said vbrackets and which are adapted to roll in engagement with said guides from end-to-end thereof, front buffers on said brackets, said buffers contacting with said rests when the rollers areat one end of said channel guides vand the seat proper is in the down position, rear buffer means on said brackets, and at least one stationary stop contacted by said rear buffer means when the rollers occupy the other end of said' guides and the seat proper is in the tipped position. t 3. A tip-up seat comprising Aside-supports, front seat-rests on said side-supports, channel guides with lclosed upperand lower ends on said side-supports, Vsaid guides being arranged'behind said seat-restsand being arcuate thereto, a seat proper arranged between said side-supports for movement between a down position and a tipped position and including seat brackets, lateral projections on said brackets, shockabsorbing rollers on said projections, said rollers engaging and being movable from end-to-end of said channel guides, front buffers on said brackets, said buiers contacting with said rests when the rollers are at the upper ends of said guides andthe seat proper is in the down position, rear buffers on said brackets, and stops on said side-supports contacted by said rear buifers when the rollers are at the lower ends of said guides and the seat proper is in the tipped position.

` 4. A tip-up seat comprising side-supports, a seat` proper turnablebetween a down position and a tipped position, down-position and tippedposition stop means on said side-supports, front and rear abutments provided on said seat proper and adapted to abut against said down-position and tipped-position stop means respectively, the front abutmentand down-positionstop means serving both as a support and a pivot for the seat proper in its down position, and inter-engaging side members which inter-connect the seat proper and side-supports and which are arranged intermediate the front and rear abutments, said inter-engaging members comprising a guide and a pivot which moves relatively to the guide while the seat proper performs an initial turning movement around the front abutment and downposition stop means and which serves thereafter as the axis around which the seat proper tips upwardly towards the tipped-position stop while the pivot is at one end of said guide.

5. A tip-up seat comprising side-supports, front seat-rests on the front of said side-supports, a seat proper arranged between said sidesupports for movement in two stages between a down position and a tipped position, bracket means on said seat proper, down-position abutment means and tipped-position abutment means on said bracket means, pivotal connections between said bracket means and side-supports, said connection being arranged intermediate said down-position and tipped position abutment means and comprising relatively movable channel guides and rollers, said guides being positioned rearwardly of the front seat rests and extending crosswise of the normal plane of the seat proper in the down position, and said front abutment means being adapted to contact with said front seat-rests which serve as a pivot around which the seat proper performs the rst stage of its tipping movement, during which stage relative movement takes place between the rollers and their guides from end-to-end thereof, and stationary means contacted by said tipped-position abutment means on completion of the next stage of the tipping movement around the rollers at one end of their guides.

6. A tip-up seat comprising side-supports, front seat-rests on the front of said side-supports, a seat proper arrangedbetween said sidesupports for movement in two stages between a down position and a tipped position, bracket means on said seat proper, down-position abutment means and tipped-position abutment means on said bracket means, stationary channel guides arranged on said side supports and rearwardly of said front seat-rests, said guides extending crosswise of the normal plane of the seat proper in the down position, rollers which are journalled on said bracket means, are positioned between said down-position and tippedposition abutment means and are guided by said guides, said down-position abutment means being arranged to contact with said front seatrests which serve as a pivot around which the seat proper performs the rst stage of its tipping movement, during which stage the rollers move from end-to-end of the guides, and stationary means contacted by said tipped-position abutment means on completion of the next stage of the tipping movement around the rollers at one end of the guides.

JAMES MITCHELL. 

